Pollution

No one really expected the CAQM to immediately clear up the smog. NCR residents will simply have to wait and hope it shows results next year. The question is, will it?

The Commission has been given sweeping powers to ensure its orders are implemented and its decisions cannot be challenged in any court.

Health experts fear that the effects of COVID-19, primarily respiratory problems, could be worsened by heightened air pollution due to smoke from the annual stubble burning.

A study suggests that a cocktail of natural and man-made pollutants wafting in the air is tinkering with the rainwater quality in Guwahati.

In Mangalore, a state government-run research centre has developed the technology to convert used cooking oil to biodiesel. Five private buses here now run on biofuel blend

Indiscriminate dumping of industrial effluents and untreated municipal waste in the Sutlej river, and various other channels flowing into it, is causing unprecedented incidence of cancer and other health hazards in the three states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

2500 plus community pujas. Lakhs of revellers. The Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata are magical, but harsh and unforgiving on the environment. Unfortunately, thoughts and plans on greening the celebrations appear to be at a very immature stage still.

Two generations have seen the light of day since the disastrous gas leak at Bhopal’s Union Carbide factory. Yet, children are still born with congenital defects and people battle chronic illness, as thousands of tons of chemical waste lie in the open, contaminating air and water. Is the state even bothered?

Intense summers are not uncommon in Delhi, but when temperatures soared to 48 degrees this June, it was a record even by city standards. Could emissions from the East Delhi Ghazipur landfill have had a role to play?

One diesel SUV accounts for the emissions of about 25-65 petrol cars! And yet cities, where vehicle emissions are the biggest cause of particulate matter pollution, have not been able to shun them. Can we take the steps needed to mitigate the diesel threat or will citizens and environment continue to pay a heavy price?

Buddha Nulla, formerly Buddha Dariya, symbolises Ludhiana’s decay; its water grows more polluted and contaminated with carcinogens as governments fail to curb dumping and spend crores in sporadic cleaning efforts.

For many Mumbaikars, ‘air pollution’ is a Delhi or at most a North Indian problem. Yet, Mumbai air itself says otherwise on many a day. But are city authorities really aware and equipped to take the steps they need to?