Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Sonya Ghosh Vs Govt. of NCT of Delhi & Others dated 17/02/2025. The matter related to conservation and protection of Delhi Ridge which is an extension of Aravali Range extending from Tughlakabad and branching out in Wazirabad in the north …
H-acid (or 1-napthol-8-amino-3,6 disulfonic acid) is an azo dye (an alcohol + an ether) *which exists as a white crystal or grey powder. Large quantities of sulphuric and nitric acids, common salt,-iron filings, caustic soda, lime and napthalene are needed for its manufacture, which can cause extensive damage to standing …
It is not just the land that has turned barren in Bichhri - the cattle have also been badly hit. Initially, when effluents flowed through the village, residents were alarmed to see the skin peel off their cattle after they had wallowed in contaminated water. Several families lost their cows …
THE Supreme Court (SC) judgement has made our village famous, a primary school headmaster tells a small group gathered around him in a temple courtyard in Bichhri. He is referring to the February 13, 1996 judgement in the court of Justices B P Jeevan Reddy and B N Kirpal, ordering …
Dioxins and fLirans. two deadly by- products of medical waste incineration, form directly from chlorine and chlorinated products which are present in much larger volumes in medical wastes than in municipal wastes. Chlorinated products in medical wastes would typically include catheters, gloves and blood bags. A two year study conducted …
Disturbed by the increasing tendency of some industrialised nations to dump their hazardous waste on its shores, China has strengthened its anti- dumping laws. The new law, aimed at curbing the "invasion of foreign garbage", came into effect from April 1. Now, those who ship solid wastes into China for …
IT TOOK a total of 10 deaths for the British government to finally acknowledge the seriousness of a threat which was literally being shouted from the rooftops for years. What is being referred to here is the suspected link between the Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), - …
IN THE recent tug-of-war over viable methods of waste disposal in India, the Supreme Court ruling ordering hospi- tals with over 50 beds to instal incine- rators, has infuriated the anti-incineration lobby. Activists and scientists from Delhi to Mumbai are up in arms against the installation and use of municipal …
ENVIRONMENTAL issues often generate considerable heat and public debates. While the traditional focus of these debates have been the role of governments and that of political and commercial vested interests, the role played by scientists and expert committees has seldom been examined seriously. Given the fact that every environmental controversy …
The controversy began in 1973 as a debate over the suitability of setting up the Mathura refinery (MR) about 40 km from Taj Mahal. Successive expert committees have, since then, defeated all efforts to put the MR on the pollution map of Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ). The first Varadarajan Committee …
• NEERI's clean chit, over a decade ago, to the toxic effluents of Zuari Agro Chemicals, Goa, was found to be wrong by the Goa State laboratory. Zuari Agro remained closed following a movement till its effluent quality improved. • NEERI"s reports on the environmental aspects of aquaculture farming (1995) …
WITH air pollution a serious cause for concern in European countries, the European Union (Eu) environment ministers agreed early March to curb diesel fuel emissions all over Europe. Diesel emissions let loose nitrogen oxide, known to cause acid rain and also diesel particles, a few of which have been found …
HOSPITALS, clinics and other institutions where bio-medical wastes are leading to environmental and health hazards, will have to adhere to clear-cut guidelines in the future on waste disposal methods. The ministry of environment an d forests is giving the final touches to a notification regarding proper disinfection, treatment and disposal …
In a momentous order given last month, the European Court of Justice ruled that European Union (EU) states must compensate individuals and companies for losses ensuing from government failure to implement EU laws correctly. The UK has been sued by 97 Spanish and Dutch fisherfolk for upto US $47.5 million …
The construction work on the Sardar Sarovar dam has been delayed further. The Supreme Court of India ruled on March 12, that there shall be no further construction of the spillway portion of the controversial dam till the concerned states, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh iron out their differences on the …
A wetland in the St Lucia estuary on the cast coast in KwaZUILI-Natal province was saved from devastation when the country's cabinet banned the development of a mineral sands project by Richards Bay Minerals (RBM). The ban brought to an end a six-year struggle by environmental groups to prevent exploitation …
SHANGHAI households are in for a surprise as they open their mailboxes this month: the city government will charge them for treating waste water. Companies and work units face a rise of the already existing fee. Pressurised by the World Bank (WB), China has decided to introduce 'the-polluter-pays' principle. "This …
A RECENT ruling by the Kerala High Court (HC) directed concerned authorities to protect the prehistoric remains in the Maraiyurvalley in Idukki district from granite quarrying by declaring them as national monuments. It was ruled last November, that quarrying would not be permitted at the site. The, prehistoric tombs - …
Bungling up of data on secondhand smoke has landed a us company, Healthy Buildings International, in the dock. A federal grand jury is investigating whether the company, which monitors air quality for federal and private buildings, made false statements to the federal government regarding the risks of secondhand smoke and …
Come summer and the squabbling for water between Delhi and Haryana begins. Haryana was pulled up by the Supreme Court of India on February 24, for its failure to stop the leakage of highly polluted effluents in river Yamuna through drain no eight originating in Haryana. Water supply to Delhi …
Chinese authorities and a dredging contractor are involved in a mud-slinging match. The government stopped the contractor, Gitanes Engineering, from dumping nearly 250,000 cu m of sludge in Chinese waters. The dispute over contaminated mud has reached the High Court with the contractor issuing a writ claiming US $18.76 million …
