New Delhi, 14 MAY: West Bengal has the highest number of red category industries causing high pollution, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while 43 industrial clusters have been identified as “critically polluted”, the Lok Sabha was informed today. Environment and Forest Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said during Question Hour that the Central Pollution Control Board and IIT-Delhi had conducted a survey based on Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index for assessment of pollution load of industrial areas. “The survey was conducted in 88 major industrial clusters in the country.

New Delhi West Bengal has the highest number of red category industries causing high pollution, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while 43 industrial clusters have been identified as "critically polluted", the Lok Sabha was informed today.

Environment and Forest Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said during Question Hour that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and IIT-Delhi had conducted a survey based on Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) for assessment of pollution load of industrial areas.

West Bengal has the highest number of red category industries causing high pollution, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while 43 industrial clusters have been identified as “critically polluted”, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.

The Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Ms Jayanthi Natarajan, said during Question Hour that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and IIT-Delhi had conducted a survey based on Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) for assessment of pollution load of industrial areas.

Hyderabadis are victims of perpetual noise pollution according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. Data pertaining to ambient noise level from continuous monitoring stations set up by the CPCB concludes that the city residents are subjected to high noise levels at all times.

These stations set up at five different locations show that irrespective of the location, whether residential, commercial, or sensitive zones, and irrespective of the timing, i.e, day or night, readings are way above the safety standard and can thus have dangerous impacts on people’s health. In April, the average noise level in Jubilee Hills,

Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has issued show-cause notices to three unauthorised dyeing units near Perur and action is to be taken on these units soon.

On the noise pollution reports, he pointed out that increasing urbanisation and rapid growth of industries had led to industries and houses coming up in the same area and noise level surveys were taken up based on specific complaints.

Even though e-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules have come into force from Tuesday, the AP Pollution Control Board is still gearing up for implementation and strict enforcement of these rules with a framework of guidelines to be followed by manufacturers of e-products.

The Union ministry of environment and forests had announced e-waste rules way back in June 2011 under the Environment Protection Act. This would be implemented in letter and spirit only after the APPCB prepares a draft explaining “how to ensure implementation and check violation” of the norms.

The Bhopal activist who was “snooped on” by Dow talks first-hand. This spying and snooping has a long history. When a big corporate like Dow Chemicals resorts to snooping on private citizens, in this case on those agitating for compensation following one of the worst tragedies of our times, it only acts as a reconfirmation that they are guilty. This latest expose from Wikileaks only corroborates what we already knew.

Twenty-one iron and steel plants, having capacity of 0.5 million tonnes a year and above, are up for an independent “green” rating. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based NGO, has completed a survey of the country's top steel-sector players for the environmental ratings.

The results of the survey, conducted over around one year and nine months, and the rating details will be announced next month. The centre would also release a 200-page book on the environment status of the domestic steel sector on May 17.

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Central Pollution Control Board to file a comprehensive affidavit on the “character and content” of reported contamination of ground water in Bhopal's Arifnagar area due to the 1985 Union Carbide gas tragedy.

A Bench of Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice J. Chelameshwar also asked the Board's counsel Vijay Panjwani to recommend measures to overcome the contamination and action to be taken in this regard.

The environment ministry will not accept any proposal for new and expansion projects in four major coal fields — Korba, Asansol, Chandrapur and Dhanbad — as no measures have been taken to reduce environmental pollution. The four coalfields are among the 18 industrial clusters with a high environmental — air, water and land — pollution.