Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Ramdevbhai Samatbhai Sanjva Vs State of Gujarat & Others dated 09/05/2025. The matter related to remedial actions to be taken for abatement of pollution of river Bhadar near Ahmedabad. Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has filed the response affidavit, March …
A recent report on the dumping of effluents in the Amlakhadi channel in Bharuch district of Gujarat has attracted flak from environmentalists. The document, prepared by Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), lays down norms that are impractical and, therefore, likely to remain on paper, contend activists. It is …
the existence of protected areas in Gujarat is threatened. Cement industries and lime stone quarries have taken their toll on Gir forests. The Marine National Park and sanctuary have suffered due to petroleum processing plants, pipelines and cement manufacturing units. The latest to join the casualty list is the Thol …
IN SAURASHTRA region of Gujarat, most farmers grow one crop per year. Around Junagadh district in the southern part of the state, peanut and castor are the main cash crops. Peanut gives the best returns, but will only thrive with a heavy monsoon. If the rains are weak, the more …
the familiar sound of conch shells (shankh) resonating during auspicious occasions may soon be a thing of the past, courtesy a recent Union government decision. The July 11, 2001, gazette notification by the Ministry of environment and forests has de facto banned the harvest, processing, stocking and sale of Xancus …
the forest department in Gujarat has adopted a novel method to curb teakwood smuggling. Not only has it stepped up the heat on the Veerappans of the region, it is also keeping tabs on illegal operators involved in the final sale of the stolen logs. The result: a teakwood haul …
even as the controversy generated by Gujarat's highly polluting Alang shipbreaking yard refuses to die down, Andhra Pradesh is clearing the decks for a similar unit to be located in its fragile coastal belt. The proposal for the yard at Vodarevu near Chirala of Prakasam district was given the technical …
This paper critically examines some narratives of water scarcity in Kutch, western India. It argues that images of dwindling rainfall and increasing drought largely serve to legitimize the controversial Sardar Sarovar dam and manufacture dominant perceptions concerning scarcity. This manufacture has naturalized scarcity in the region and largely benefits powerful …
the Tiger Census of 2001 has revealed that the majestic tigers found in Gujarat from Valsad to Banaskantha are now extinct. After the pug marks of the tiger recorded in 1997 census, the forest department authorities have not sighted any tiger for the last four years. Habitat crunch in Gujarat …
The Union government and the Gujarat government are at loggerheads over the damage control exercises to deal with the illegal cultivation of transgenic Bt cotton in the fields of Gujarat. The Union government has asked the Gujarat state government to take into custody all transgenic lint that has entered the …
The entire transgenic cotton episode has exposed the weak underbelly of the government. Dragging its feet on a crucial issue has now landed the authorities in an inextricable mess. And has brought the world crashing around the poor farmers. It simply shows that not only can the powers that be …
a polluting industrial unit in Gujarat continues to operate with the help of a minister, despite the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (gpcb) issuing notices to shut it down. In a bid to close the unit, the board suspended its production and cut its power supply. But a mere phone call …
the National Human Rights Commission has directed the Gujarat government to file a report on the toxic gas leak in Jamnagar city, which is causing serious health problems among one million local people. On August 14, 2001, a gaseous odour was detected in some parts of Jamnagar. Following this incident, …
To put it in a nutshell, the factors that have contributed to the lack of development of organic market in India include low awareness about the perils of chemically farmed products, high prices of organic produce, lack of consumer confidence in organic food standards and their erratic supply. Smritee Singh, …
The government's interventions have focused on promoting certified organic production, missing out the challenge of using the organic route to reward traditional, marginal farmers. This misplaced priority seems to be changing. A master plan for the production of organic coffee is almost ready. Formulated by the coffee board, the plan …
THE Gujarat government has robbed Gir sanctuary of its tranquillity this monsoon, sparking off a furore amongst environmentalists. It has opened up a 10-km long road running through the sanctuary to facilitate pilgrimage to the Patla Mahadev temple, which is located inside the protected area. The road usually remains closed …
This is a story of hope and of a major change. For the first time in the last 50 years, several state governments are dealing with drought in a different way
For all the people scripting the success stories, there is a warning: history has seen the death of millions of the country's water structures due to government's apathy. Now, for the first time in the last 50 years governments have really shifted their focus to drought proofing from the adhoc …
