Environmental Pollution

Mercury pollution in marine mammals continues to rise, finds new study

Large amounts of mercury from past coal burning, industry and mining are already present in the oceans

Covid-19 masks release microplastics and toxins, researchers warn

New research reveals that single-use face masks can release harmful micro particles and chemicals into air and water, with potential effects on human health and ecosystems

CAQM admits no research has been done behind overage vehicle ban

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has admitted it has not conducted any research or study on pollution caused by diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years that form the basis of the overage vehicle ban in Delhi-NCR. In a reply to an RTI application filed by environmentalist Amit Gupta, the CAQM said it has not undertaken any pollution research or study regarding the impact of such vehicles. Asked if there were any other research that formed the basis of the ban, the commission said the restrictions on "end-of-life" (EoL) vehicles stem from the National Green Tribunal's order in Vardhman Kaushik vs Union of India & Ors and the Supreme Court's order in M C Mehta vs Union of India & Ors. Last month, the CAQM put on hold until October 31 the enforcement of its earlier directive that fuel stations in Delhi should not supply petrol or diesel to such overage vehicles. The decision came after the Delhi government cited "operational and .

Pollution boards can impose compensatory environmental damages, says SC

In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court has upheld the powers of the pollution control boards to impose restitutionary and compensatory damages for environmental harm, saying that prevention and remediation must be at the heart of environmental governance. A bench comprising justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra held that under provisions of the Water Act and the Air Act, pollution control boards are constitutionally and statutorily empowered to levy damages for actual or potential environmental harm. Having considered the principles that govern Indian environmental laws, we have held that the environmental regulators, the Pollution Control Boards exercising powers under the Water and Air Acts, can impose and collect restitutionary or compensatory damages in the form of fixed sum of monies or require furnishing of bank guarantees as an ex-ante measure to prevent potential environmental damage, Justice Narasimha wrote in the judgement delivered on Monday. The verdict said these .

World Environment Day 2025: Date, theme, history, significance & host

The UN General Assembly announced June 5 as 'Environment Day' during the Stockholm Conference in 1972. The theme of World Environment Day 2025 is 'Putting an End to Plastic Pollution'

SC bars govt from giving post-facto environmental clearance for projects

The Supreme Court has restrained the Centre from granting ex-post facto environmental clearances to projects, declaring them illegal and violative of constitutional rights

Growth hits a green wall: Can Indian factories outgrow environmental norms?

A Supreme Court stay on eased green norms has stalled large-scale construction, reigniting a long-running clash between industrial growth ambitions and environmental safeguards

Groundwater in Punjab, Haryana contaminated with uranium, arsenic: Report

The Central Ground Water Board report attributes the rising uranium levels to leaching from agricultural land. Intensive use of fertilisers has exacerbated the problem

Russia warns of environmental harm as oil from tankers pollute beaches

Russian officials warned of severe environmental damage Wednesday as thousands of people came out to clean up tonnes of fuel oil that spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers more than two weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, near Moscow-occupied Crimea. More than 10,000 people, largely volunteers, raced to rescue wildlife and remove tons of sand saturated with mazut, a heavy, low-quality oil product, according to Russian news reports. Authorities in Russia's southern Krasnodar region last week announced a region-wide emergency, as the fuel oil continued washing up on the coastline 10 days after one tanker ran aground and the other was left damaged and adrift on December 15. The move came days after Russian President Vladimir Putin called the oil spill an ecological disaster. On Wednesday, New Year's Day, Krasnodar officials said the oil kept on surfacing on the beaches of Anapa, a popular local resort. More than 71,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil had been removed along 56 ...

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