Is India Winning the War Against Pollution? The fight for cleaner air and water intensifies as the nation grapples with the escalating impacts of climate change. From the devastating floods in Assam to the alarming rise in air pollution levels in Delhi, environmental challenges demand urgent action. This week saw crucial discussions on sustainable agriculture and renewable energy sources at the India Climate Change Conference, highlighting the government's commitment to tackling deforestation and promoting biodiversity conservation. But are these efforts enough? Experts warn of looming water scarcity and the need for stricter regulations on industrial emissions. The future of India's environment hangs in the balance, demanding collective responsibility and innovative solutions. Explore Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and the latest updates on environmental policies, climate activism, and the ongoing struggle for a sustainable India. Discover how you can contribute to a greener tomorrow.
NEW DELHI: A court-appointed inspection report submitted to the National Green Tribunal has laid bare the environmental disaster festering at Delhi's Ghazipur landfill, exposing glaring lapses in solid waste management. The inspection revealed a mountain of untreated waste far exceeding the permitted height, uncontrollable methane emissions, toxic leachate oozing into drains and making its way to the Yamuna River, and a complete absence of boundary walls, raising severe health, environmental, and safety concerns. The findings were submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has taken suo motu cognisance of the worsening situation at the site. A bench comprising NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Judicial Member Justice Sudhir Agarwal, and Expert Member A. Senthil Vel has directed the MCD to submit a detailed affidavit within six weeks. The court has demanded clarity on the lapses in waste treatment, fire control, leachate management, and plans for long-term site remediation. While the MCD submitted a reply dated July 9, the bench found it lacking and raised several follow-up queries. "A perusal of the above reply reveals that though the dump site Ghazipur receives the waste in the range of 2400-2600 MT per day, it is presently processing much lesser quantity, therefore, the untreated waste is adding to the legacy waste. The WTE plant in Ghazipur is presently utilising only approximately 700-1000 MT of waste daily. The waste, which was going to the WTE Plant at Okhla till April 2025, has stopped. The gap in the receipt and treatment of the solid waste is reflected, yet without disclosing the details of filling this gap and the steps that will be taken to clear the legacy waste, the targeted timeline for complete clearance is stated to be 2028," the bench observed.
Ahmedabad, June 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) The MSC IRINA, recognised as the world's largest container ship by TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) capacity, is set to dock at the Adani Group's Vizhinjam International Seaport on Monday and will be berthed till Tuesday. The monumental arrival marks a significant milestone for the seaport, which was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2. The MSC IRINA boasts an impressive capacity of 24,346 TEUs, making it a formidable player in global shipping. With a length of 399.9 metres and a width of 61.3 metres, the vessel is approximate ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI) Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday directed that one-third of the land reclaimed from Delhi's three major landfill sites should be used for public welfare projects such as hospitals, schools and sports complexes, while the remaining area be developed into advanced waste processing facilities. The directive was issued during a meeting held here to review the city's solid waste management progress, as the government aims to eliminate legacy waste dumps by 2026. The chief minister chaired the meeting along with Delhi Mayor Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh to review solid wast ...Read More >
New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) Wastewater treatment solution provider SFC Environmental Technologies has filed preliminary papers with markets regulator Sebi seeking its approval to raise funds through an initial public offering (IPO). The company's proposed IPO is a combination of a fresh issue of shares worth Rs 150 crore and an offer-for-sale (OFS) of 1.23 crore shares by promoters and existing shareholders, according to the draft red herring prospectus. Proceeds from a fresh issuance worth Rs 47.46 crore will be utilised for payment of debt and Rs 69.67 crore for working capital requirements. ...Read More >
KOCHI: With the Kerala Urban Policy nearing formal adoption, Prof M Satish Kumar, chairman of the Kerala Urban Policy Commission, which was tasked with preparing it, spoke to TNIE on the state's challenges and possibilities on the sidelines of the two-day Urban Conclave, which concluded in Kochi on Saturday. Excerpts: Given the shifting demographics and trends, what are the challenges faced by Kerala in implementing an urban policy? The Kerala model has raised awareness of participatory governance and equity. The challenge is to improve local self-governance and efficiency. Urban governance ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday refuted the rumours regarding slum demolitions and said that no slum would be demolished without first providing permanent housing to its residents. FIRs will be filed, and strict action will be taken against those spreading false information about demolitions, she added. She inaugurated and inspected various development projects in Nehru Camp in Haiderpur, Ekta Camp in Pitampura, and the area near U and V Blocks of JJ Cluster in the Shalimar Bagh Assembly constituency. The Chief Minister also reviewed key works, su ...Read More >
Chandigarh: Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said the state govt was consistently working to provide better resources to the doctors and quality healthcare services to the citizens.He mentioned that medical colleges were being established in every district.While there were only six medical colleges in 2014, the number has now increased to 15, and nine new colleges are under construction. As a result, MBBS seats in the state increased from 700 in 2014 to 2,185, at present. The state govt aims to increase the MBBS seats to over 3,400 by 2029, said Saini.The CM was addressing a ...Read More >
New Delhi: July 3 is International Plastic Bag Free Day. However, across Delhi, single-use plastic (SUP) bags, including those prohibited since 2018, are being used by shopkeepers and customers. Disposable cutlery and drinking straws made of plastic have also resurfaced in the marketplace.Despite restrictions imposed three years ago in July on single-use plastic, plastic items, particularly low-quality polythene bags below 50-micron thickness banned in 2018, continue to be extensively used without consequences. While several initiatives were undertaken to encourage the use of alternative mater ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has set a November deadline to clear all encroachments from the Yamuna floodplains under its 45-point action plan for river cleaning and rejuvenation. Officials said the plan, approved by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, was discussed in a recent meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary and involve agencies like DDA, DJB, DPCC, MCD, I&FC, and NDMC. The DDA has been directed to remove illegal structures, waste dumping, and unauthorised farming along the floodplains. Officials cited frequent resistance and lack of clear demarcation as major challenges. So far, the DDA ...Read More >
Ludhiana: The municipal corporation, which has prepared a roadmap for establishment of the "waste to energy" plant for proper management of fresh waste generated in the city, invited three major firms with expertise in the field on Friday. MC commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal said that they wanted to get suggestions and inputs from the firms so that proper planning could be done for establishment of the plant. Firms invited on Friday include SFC Environmental Technologies Ltd, Re Sustainability Limited (formerly known as Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd), and JITF Urban Infrastructure Limited (part of ...Read More >
New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi's public health department recently wrote to the veterinary department, requesting an examination of the issue of controlling the pigeon population in Delhi.In correspondence dated July 8, additional municipal health officer informed the veterinary department about concerns raised during the June 27 standing committee meeting regarding pigeon overpopulation and potential health risks from their droppings."It is pertinent to mention that there is no data a ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi continued to show lacklustre results in the Swachhta Survekshan. In the assessment of cities with populations exceeding 10 lakh (or million-plus cities) for 2024-25, it placed 31st out of 44. This follows the 2023-24 performance in which Delhi ranked 90th among 446 cities in the category of urban areas with populations above one lakh. MCD had aspired to rank in the top 10 in this category in 2024-25, but fell far short.Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh argued that until last year, the Aam Aadmi Party was at the helm in MCD and no progress was reported in vari ...Read More >
Bhopal: Around 40 years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, the entire 347 tons or the toxic waste of the defunct Union Carbide factory here has finally been incinerated. The process of incineration of the last batch of 307 tons of toxic waste which began at eight pm on May five this year at the Industrial Waste Management Plant at Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district has been completed at 1.05 am on Monday, officials said on Monday. Thirty tons of toxic remains of the Bhopal gas tragedy were earlier disposed of at the same incineration facility at Pithampur in the three trial runs between ...Read More >
In a high-level meeting held with senior officials on Saturday, the Chief Minister expressed serious concern over the poor state of sanitation, waste management, road infrastructure, safety, drainage, and drinking water supply in these markets. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has taken a strong and proactive stance on revitalising the national capital's wholesale fruit, vegetable, and flower markets. She has directed the concerned departments to initiate immediate corrective measures while layi ...Read More >
New Delhi: Protest at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) against a recently announced fee hike, the long-standing suspension of students' union elections and calls for administrative accountability have entered their sixth day, with students boycotting classes and staging sit-ins at the Bab-e-Syed gate (the iconic entrance of the varsity). The fee structure for different courses has witnessed a sharp revision. Students say the hike ranges from 25% to over 60% across various programmes. Many claim they first learned of the revised fees only while trying to pay through the university's online ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 5 (PTI) National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava on Thursday outlined an urgent need to curb plastic pollution as it negatively impacted marine life, suffocated terrestrial ecosystems, leached harmful chemicals into soil and water. In addition, it contributed significantly to air pollution when burnt, he said. The statement came on the occasion of World Environment Day and was uploaded on the NGTs website. Shrivastava said that plastic had become an indispensable part of our lives, yet its convenience masked a devastating reality. "This nonbiodegradabl ...Read More >
Bhopal: After decades of lingering uncertainty, the disposal of 307 tonnes of toxic waste (earlier 347 tonnes) from the infamous Union Carbide factory responsible for the Bhopal gas tragedy, has now been disposed. The Madhya Pradesh High Court had issued directives in this regard earlier to dispose it in maximum 72 days. "The process, which began from the evening of May 5 was completed on June 29 evening," a senior officer in the MP Pollution Control Board told IANS. It was burnt at a private facility in Pithampur in Dhar district near Indore, amid protests by locals. "The incineration proc ...Read More >
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Jabalpur High Court has sought expert opinion on the viability of using a plastic-coated landfill to dispose of chemical waste from the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) at Pithampur. On Monday, the bench comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Dinesh Kumar Paliwal directed that representatives from the National Institute for Research in Environmental Health (NIREH), National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) be present for the next hearing scheduled for July 31. T ...Read More >
New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) brought forward the deadlines for the complete biomining of legacy waste at three landfills -- Okhla, Bhalswa, and Ghazipur -- and the reclamation of land from Dec 2028 to Dec 2026. The information was shared by the civic body after a high-level review meeting on solid waste management in Delhi. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of the CM Rekha Gupta, urban development minister Ashish Sood, mayor Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh, MCD commissioner Ashwani Kumar and other officials.Singh said the discussions focused on 13 key agenda points, mainly ...Read More >
Bareilly (UP), Jul 17 (PTI) A teacher from Bahedi district, who went viral recently after reciting a poem mentioning Kanwar Yatra, approached the police on Thursday stating a threat to his life from anti-social elements. A case has been registered at Bahedi police station based on a complaint from Dr Rajneesh Kumar Gangwar, a teacher at MGM Inter College in the district. According to Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh, Gangwar's complaint says that ever since his recitation of the poem 'Tum Kanwad Lene Mat Jana, Gyaan Ka Deepak Jalaana' (You don't go get Kavad, light the lamp of knowledge inste ...Read More >
The cities were evaluated based on 10 parameters and 54 indicators. Indore has retained its top position as the cleanest city in India for the eighth consecutive year. Surat and Pune were second and third. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Award on the city at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The cities were evaluated based on 10 parameters and 54 indicators. The Centre said that the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 adopted a smart and structured approach to assess urban clea ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) Aiming complete reclamation of the capital's three major landfill sites -- Ghazipur, Bhalswa, and Okhla -- the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has ramped up operations by adding two additional trommels at each dumpsite, an official said on Friday. As part of its ongoing biomining operations, the civic body of Delhi (MCD) noted that a massive extraction of legacy waste occurred over three years, from July 2022 to July 9, 2025. The civic body is targeting complete reclamation of the Bhalswa site by December 2026, the Ghazipur site by December 2027, and the Okhla si ...Read More >
New Delhi: Traffic in central Delhi will be affected on Thursday as the traffic police has issued an advisory due to the Janmashtami and Tazia processions.According to police, the traffic movement in Paharganj is likely to be affected from 1.30pm in view of the shobha yatra for Janmashtami and the Tazia procession.The Janmashtami procession will start from Mandir Shri Banke Bihari Ji in Paharganj's Sangatrasan Bazar and pass through Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Chuna Mandi, Main Bazar, Munja Chowk and Arakashan Road. The Tazia procession will start from Ajmeri Gate and proceed through Pul Paharganj ...Read More >
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh IT and Human Resources Development Minister Nara Lokesh on Friday hailed the successful implementation of the state-wide 'Mega Parent-Teacher Meeting (PTM) 2.0' programme. Expressing gratitude to all stakeholders, he credited the collective efforts of government and private schools, colleges, education officials, staff, headmasters, teachers, students, parents, donors, alumni, public representatives, and officers from various departments for making the event a success. ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Hyderabad has been rated as the sixth cleanest city out of the 40 cities in India with a population of over 10 lakh, according to the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 conducted by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs. The city was ranked 9th in 2023-24, and stood at 10th place the year before. The top two cleanest cities this year are Ahmedabad and Bhopal. In Telangana, no other city featured in the top 10 list this year. However, from Andhra Pradesh, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) secured the 9th rank. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) Only seven overage vehicles were impounded by authorities on the second day on Wednesday of fuel ban for end of life vehicles, even as petrol pumps reported less traffic, officials said. Under the directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), petrol pumps across Delhi have been asked not to provide fuel to end-of-life vehicles starting Tuesday with the Transport Department along with the Delhi Police and traffic personnel putting in place a detailed enforcement strategy to ensure strict compliance. Also Read | Parliament Monsoon Session 2025: Presiden ...Read More >
New Delhi: Chief minister Rekha Gupta wrote to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, urging him to take immediate steps to curb illegal sand mining in Yamuna river areas near Delhi-UP border. The CM, in a statement, said illegal activities are weakening the river's embankments, thereby increasing the risk of flooding. She also apprised UP CM of the concerns raised by National Green Tribunal (NGT) over this critical issue.In her letter, Gupta shared detailed information about the illegal sand mining taking place in Yamuna, stressing that it is causing serious ecological damage, which could pose gra ...Read More >
Lucknow, Jul 17 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh's capital city has secured the third position in the category of urban spaces with population exceeding 10 lakh, while Prayagraj was adjudged the Cleanest Ganga City in the ninth edition of the Swachh Survekshan. Lucknow also became the first city in the state to achieve a 7-star Garbage Free City rating in the 2024-25 survey. Gorakhpur achieved double success, ranking third in the Safai Mitra Surakshit Sheher category and fourth among cities with a population between 3 to 10 lakh. Agra has been recognised as the Emerging Clean City of Uttar Pradesh, securi ...Read More >
Shimla, Jul 17 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to remove encroachments on forest lands, including the fruit-bearing trees, all across the state and not limit it to some areas. The order was passed by a division bench consisting of Justices Vivek Thakur and Bipin C Negi on Wednesday after the Advocate General placed on record fresh instructions issued by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, informing that 2,456 apple and other fruit trees have been felled from forest lands in Chaithla village, and 713 and 490 trees in Rohru and Kotgarh forest divisions, r ...Read More >
Indore, Jul 3 (PTI) Incineration of entire 358 tonnes of toxic waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory finally concluded as contaminated soil and packaging material were burnt at a disposal plant in Madhya Pradesh's Pithampur on Thursday, over six months after the consignment was brought to the unit. Nineteen tonnes of the soil containing residual toxic waste from the defunct factory and 2.22 tonnes of packaging material used in its transportation were incinerated at the plant during the day, an official said. Now, steps are being taken for the scientific disposal of the waste ash, he s ...Read More >
New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) BJP Rajya Sabha member Kiran Choudhry on Monday accused AAP of turning Delhi into a "dirty slum", saying it was making excuses and blaming others for the bad state of affairs in the national capital. Initiating the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's address in the Rajya Sabha, Choudhry said AAP has lost the faith of the people of Delhi. Without naming former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, she tore into APP leaders for using "condemnable terms" like "water terrorism, genocide, poison in Yamuna being supplied to Delhi and equating it with the bo ...Read More >